Meet Nadeen Flynn | Photography Workshop Leader and Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadeen Flynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadeen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
What started out as a hobby became a business through lots of encouragement and positive feedback from my friends, peers, and most importantly, my husband. It was ‘safe’ for me to pursue a photography business as I had taken an early retirement from my career as a teacher. I knew I would not have to support myself financially solely through my photography so that gave me a comfortable margin to pursue developing my own skills about running a business. Starting my own business meant I had to learn a lot about the business side of things, including an online presence through social media and developing my own website.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am very much a documentarian while relying on the beautiful light and moment to set my work apart from others. I do not consider myself a digital artist, but an artist who sees and captures those beautiful moments that may elude others. I only try to improve my skills from the photographer I was yesterday, and try not to compare my work with others’ work. It is my endeavor going forward to continue to improve, learn, experiment, and to be a better photographer than I was yesterday.

My background as an educator has given me the skills to mentor and teach others the art of photography. Those skills also were instrumental in my ability to create my own online Still Life Photography course with each phase of the course as a stepping stone to the next. I’m very proud of that workshop as there are very few photographers who offer a still life class.

I also teach an in-person workshop located in Northern California titled Waterfalls & More. This is a retreat style workshop in the mountains where we are close to many waterfalls, small towns, and many subjects of interest. This three and a half day workshop grew from what was originally a half day workshop.

I believe the biggest things I’ve learned from these experiences is to not give up, but to keep trying, adjusting, and try again. Often we only see the successes of others without realizing there were plenty of ‘fails’ along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Because I live in a rural area and love nature, we would travel throughout Northern California seeking the beautiful places to hike, the rugged beaches to explore, and quaint little restaurants throughout the area. We would seek out waterfalls and forested trails near Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta. Heading over to the coast, we’d stop in Trinidad for bite to eat and continue north on Highway 101 to explore the grand sequoia forests in Redwood National & State Parks. We could spend several days hiking in these beautiful forests encountering streams, waterfalls, beautiful wild flowers, and of course the amazing sequoia trees. A favorite spot to eat is Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya in Crescent City; a most unlikely restaurant in this area, but definitely worth a visit after spending time in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Heading back south along the coast, we’d stop in Eureka for a little street photography before continuing south to Fort Bragg and the quaint little town of Mendocino. During the spring and summer months, the farmer’s markets are fabulous places to purchase fresh food and flowers while doing a little people-watching. We’d follow Highway 1 south along the coast to take in all the ocean views, stopping at some of the little towns along the way to enjoy some seafood and local flavors of the towns.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is that saying that in life you are right where you are meant to be. I think this holds true for me. I have so many people and organizations to thank for my success along the way, each person and situation at the right time and place. The first person is probably my sister. She was the family photo documentarian and when she passed away from breast cancer at an early age, I decided to pick up that role. It then developed into so much more than merely documenting our family gatherings and vacations. I truly believe she gave me the gift of photography because once I got started I could not learn enough, fast enough. Like many others, I photographed everything, every genre. Now, I have found my heart’s desires in landscapes, nature, and still life; each for a different reason. Her gift has brought me comfort during hard times, new friends, a new zest for learning, and so much more.

My husband and children have been supportive and encouraging all along the way. Many others who have contributed in my progress are my photography friends and mentors. In the early days I learned so very much from an online forum/organization called Click & Co through their online photography school. Since that time I have taken numerous in-person workshops and each of those leaders introduced more information into my skillset. I am grateful to them all for what they have contributed to my process of developing my skills and business.

Website: https://nadeenflynn.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nadeenflynn, https://instagram.com/still.life.in.neutral

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NadeenFlynnPhotography

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nadeenflynn9673/videos

Image Credits
Nadeen Flynn Photography